1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed toward a rolling grille. The invention is more particularly directed toward a rolling grille with a keyless locking system.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed UNDER CFR xc2xa7xc2xa7 1.97-1.99
Rolling grilles of the type that are stored on a roller above an opening and unrolled down off the roller to close the opening are well known. The grille is unrolled off the roller and passes down between two stationary side members on the sides of the opening when closing the opening. Each side member has a slot facing the other side member and the sides of the grille are located within the members, the side portions of the grille passing through the-slots when the grille passes down. Locking means are provided to lock the grille when in the lowered, closed position. The locking means often employ key-operated locks. It is known however to use keyless locks that are hidden from view and which automatically lock the grille when an attempt is made to lift the grille up from the bottom to at least partially open the opening. The keyless lock is designed so that it does not lock when the grille is pulled from the top by operation of the roller to open the closure.
Examples of keyless locks on rolling grilles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,850,465 and 4,573,512 by way of example. The known keyless locks however do not operate very satisfactorily. The links on the sides of the grille, joining the horizontal cross bars which form the main body of the grille, have too much play. Too much play is due in part to the slot, in each stationary side member of the grille assembly, being too wide. Too much play is also due in part to the links being able to over-rotate. With the links having too much play, the grille does not always remain rigid when lifted. Because the grille does not remain rigid, the locking link employed on the keyless lock, which forms part of the links, does not always catch to lock. Thus operation of the device is not consistent.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a rolling grille with a hidden keyless lock that is constructed to operate consistently.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a rolling grille having cross bars joined by end plates, each pair of adjacent cross bars joined at the ends by an end plate. The end plates are constructed to have the grille remain relatively rigid when lifted from the bottom thus ensuring that the locking link operates properly. Each end plate is provided with abutment means that abuts against an adjacent plate to prevent relative rotation of the plates in one direction. With the plates unable to rotate in one direction relative to each other the grille stays relatively rigid when lifted.
The invention is particularly directed toward a rolling grille having a set of horizontal cross bars, the cross bar set divided into a lower bar sub-set with a top bar and an upper bar sub-set with a bottom bar. The grille has a row of end plates on each side of the grille joining the ends of the bars in at least the lower bar sub-set together, each plate in the lower bar sub-set joining two adjacent bars together, each bar connected to two adjacent plates, the plates aligned when the grille closes an opening. Each plate has a panel and at least one bar mounting section at the top and bottom of each panel, at least one of the top and bottom bar mounting sections having stop means located to abut on the outer surface of the panel of an adjacent plate when the grille closes an opening. The grille has a locking linkage on each side joining the lower and upper sub-set of bars together, the locking linkage connected to the top bar in the lower sub-set and the bottom bar in the upper sub-set and aligned with the end plates. The locking linkage has a lock link movable into a locking position when an attempt is made to raise the lower sub-set of bars.